


Storming the Castle

by 18lzytwner



Series: LazyTown Second Series [9]
Category: LazyTown
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-01-26
Updated: 2009-01-26
Packaged: 2019-06-29 00:27:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 11,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15718179
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/18lzytwner/pseuds/18lzytwner
Summary: We pick up where we left off and find our heroes in a struggle between good and evil. Who wins and what happens during the course of the battle changes everything.Again the age difference is not substantial.





	1. Chapter 1

**_Two months after The Enemy Within_ **

          In the months that had followed the hospital stays for Stephanie, Sportacus, Stingy, and Ziggy, things changed.  Stephanie seemed to be growing stronger and faster by the day and it was obvious to most that her healing ability had also increased.  Sportacus was keeping a close eye on her but he never had explained what transpired at the hospital.  Stingy and Ziggy were back to their old selves and everyone was very happy with that, especially Trixie.

          Pixel and Robbie had been working together to get IAC back up and running but it had been a long process.  The complexity of the wiring and programming meant long hours at Pixel’s workshop and very rare exposure to sunshine.  Still they were working harder to see what they could do to find their enemy’s hideout.

          The sun shone and it was time once again for training.  Sportacus had been working the group pretty hard with practice between breakfast and lunch and then again between lunch and dinner.  But everyone was improving and he was very impressed.  At the beginning he’d gotten some whining, mostly from Stingy as training would cut into his counting his things, but after awhile things went along smoothly. 

          “Well what are we learning today?”  Stephanie asked, eager to get her body moving.

          “I was impressed by everyone’s kicking skills yesterday, I find that it might need some more work.” He smiled.  The two of them had grown closer since they both had their heart attacks, both not wanting to waste any together time.  This had grossed Robbie out but they mostly ignored his poking fun.

          “All of them?”  Ziggy looked slightly depressed.

          “Not all of them.  Mostly the spin kicks.”  The above average hero gave the candy-lover a wink.  Yesterday had been pretty disastrous when it came to the spinning part.  Ziggy had managed to fall over more then actually getting a kick in and the others had been a little slow.  The effectiveness of the spin kick is to put more hurt on your opponent without maxing out your own strength or getting dizzy.

          “A spin kick must be fast and you must be able to adapt.  To know when is the right time to throw it and when isn’t.  An example might be best.  Stephanie, front and center.”  Sportacus smiled.  The pink one came forward and stood near him.

          “I shall demonstrate.  Come at me.”  He directed Stephanie.  She did so, using her fists first.  Sportacus easily blocked the fists and moved into a swift front kick.  Stephanie dodged and then saw her opportunity.  The distance between them was far enough and she made the spin move.  Just as her foot was coming at Sportacus’ head he grabbed her ankle.

          “You see how she used the kick to her advantage.  The space between her and her assailant was optimal however I was prepared and was able to grab hold of her leg.”  At this point he let go of Stephanie’s leg. 

          “Now I’m going to stand here.  Stephanie try the kick again.”  He said.  She did so and again he grabbed her ankle. 

          “Her speed has improved and here is another advantage of the kick.  Stephanie hold the stance and kick with only your knee and lower leg.”  Sportacus let go of her ankle and she kicked using her lower leg.

          “If you have your opponent in position you can deliver multiple blows to the head, neck, and shoulder region out of your spin kick.  This allows you more time to get back into your fighting stance and finish your attacker off.”  The above average hero explained.

          “Ah I see.”  Trixie nodded and she was all too excited to get started.  Stephanie walked back to her spot and Sportacus said,

          “All right.  Stance!”  His pupils got into their fighting stances, knees slightly bent, fists turned upward.

          “Punch!”  They twisted their arms and delivered punches to the air.

          “Front kick!”  They lifted their knees quickly and extending their legs.

          “Top block!”  Quickly they were back into their fighting stances lifting their arms above their heads.

          “Side block!” again speed aided them in moving their arms to the sides as if to block incoming punches.

          “Spin kick!”  He yelled.  Now was the moment of truth.

          “Key-eye!”  Stephanie nailed it.

          “Key-eye!”  Trixie had improved very much since the night before.

          “Key-eye!”  Stingy had also improved but his speed needed some work.

          “Key-eyeeeeeeeee!”  Ziggy fell over again.  Sportacus chuckled slightly and went over to help the poor boy up. 

          “I still screwed it up.”  He sighed once he was up on his feet again.

          “You’re getting there.  Practice makes perfect.”  The above average hero smiled and put a hand on Ziggy’s shoulder.  Just then Pixel came running to the group.

          “We did it!”  He shouted.  Quickly training was forgotten and the group rushed over to Pixel’s house.


	2. Chapter 2

“So what do you think?”  Pixel couldn’t his pride as his friends looked over the android.

          “Incredible.  So he listens to your commands?”  Stephanie asked.

          “Watch this.”  Pixel smirked and ordered,

          “IAC shake Robbie’s hand.”  The android sat up turned to Robbie and extended a hand.  Robbie extended his as well and they shook.

          “Amazing.”  Trixie commented.

          “I must have it!  It’s MIIIIIINE!”  Stingy shouted.  He reached for the robot and Trixie punched him in the shoulder.

          “Don’t even think about it.”  She gave him a glare.  The miser gave her a look as if to say “how dare you deny me” and she smacked upside the head.  Ziggy chuckled at this, which only got him glares from both of them.

          “So can he help us infiltrate the Ministry’s base?”  Sportacus wondered.

          “We’ve begun to create programming for it’s main computer.  Right now IAC only responds to verbal commands.  We’re hoping to create a program to upload instructions to him, that way he will not be able to disobey a direct order.”  Robbie explained.

          “Does that make him Three Laws compatible?”  The above average hero asked.

          “Yes and no.  We intend to have him recognize all of us and any perceived attacks against us to be interpreted as such and then the command is ‘Destroy’.  IAC will then take out the threat unless instructed not too by our recognized voice commands.”  Robbie said.

          “Destroy?”  This seemed to make Sportacus a little nervous.

          “That command will only kick in when I sent a signal to him, indicating ‘War Mode’.”  Pixel explained. 

          “War Mode?”  Again there was nervousness in the hero’s voice.  His question was ignored and the Gizmo Guy announced,

          “It’ll take Robbie and I at least two weeks to get the code done.  Then he’ll be ready for action.”

          “That doesn’t give us much time.  Come on guys.  Let’s get back to training.”  Stephanie smiled and quickly ushered her friends out leaving Sportacus with Robbie and Pixel.

          “Shouldn’t you be going?”  Robbie asked him.  This seemed to shake the hero from his thoughts.

          “Right.  Sorry.  Hey can we talk later?”  He asked Robbie as Pixel headed upstairs for more caffeine.

          “Sure.  What time?”  The ex-villain wondered.

          “Around six.  Your place unless you want to climb the ladder.”  The hero said.

          “My place it is then.”  Robbie nodded.  He had no intention of trying to climb that ladder.  His body probably couldn’t take it.  Sportacus nodded as he left the room and headed back upstairs.  Robbie watched him, wondering what the hero wanted to talk to him in private for.

          Training continued into the late afternoon until around five o’clock which signaled dinner and break for the evening.  Trixie and Stingy headed toward her mom’s house as she had invited him over and Ziggy headed toward his folks place.

          “So, you coming for dinner?”  Stephanie asked.

          “Of course.”  He smiled though he seemed slightly distracted.

          “Are you ok?  You’ve seemed preoccupied after we visited Pixel and Robbie.”  Concern filled Stephanie’s voice as they started walking to the Mayor’s house.

          “Sorry.  I’m just worried.”  He told her.

          “Worried?  You?  Come on.  Since when?”  Her joking tone made him chuckle.

          “I just don’t know about this plan.  I’d never forgive myself if something happened to anyone.  Especially you.”  He took her hand and gave it a squeeze.

          “No worries, I can take care of myself.  Besides if I get into trouble, you’re always there.”  She tried to reassure him.  Sportacus smiled slightly.  It seemed as though Stephanie’s naiveté wasn’t letting her see what he meant.  Although he noted she could just be saying that to make him feel better.

          “Come on, we’re getting better every day and with IAC we should be able to take them.”  She said.

          “We don’t even know who they are or how many there are.  This is what concerns me.  We could be walking right into a death trap.”  His concern about the impending trip was logical and Stephanie could see how it bothered him.  She also knew he was right, as usual.  She let out a sigh, stopped just before her Uncle’s front door, and said,

          “After dinner, I’ll go talk to Pixel about the plan and see if IAC can’t give us more info on the Ministry.  Ok?” 

          “Sounds good.  That’ll give me some time to plan tomorrow’s training sessions.”  He smiled and leaned over.  Pressing his lips to her forehead, he hoped he was reassuring her.  She smiled back and opened the door. 


	3. Chapter 3

Dinner went by fast and Stephanie was soon back over at Pixel’s.  The Gizmo Guy was happily eating macaroni and cheese while trying to piece together some code.

          “I take it you’re enjoying yourself?”  Stephanie laughed slightly.

          “Indeed I am.  So what brings you over?  I figured you and Sportacus would spend the evening together.”  Pixel wondered.

          “He has some training routines to work out if we’re to be ready in two weeks.  Besides, he brought up a concern that now has me worried.  We talk about waltzing into the Ministry’s lair and we don’t even know what we’re up against.”  Stephanie explained.

          “I’m way ahead of you.  Despite the fact that you zapped his circuits to kingdom come a couple of months back, IAC’s memory chips still had a slim chance I could recover some info.  I’ve also been working on his brain or hard drive.”  Pixel told her.

          “But shouldn’t the charge I sent through him destroyed all of that stuff?”  The pink-haired one was confused.

          “Ordinarily, yes.  However it appears that IAC’s creators built in a fail-safe that could withstand most electrical shocks.  That’s probably how they were able to repair him.  They threw out what remained of him after Sportacus kicked his booty and then they placed his old memory chips and hard drive.”  He said.

          “So you were hoping to do the same thing.  Except what he’s running on aren’t his originals.”  Stephanie gained some understanding.

          “Exactly.  Once I replaced the circuits, chips, and hard drive, he’s running off my own program.  I didn’t want to risk him going evil on us again by putting his old equipment in.  So I’m decoding the encryption and seeing what info I can use and what I can’t.  From there, I’ll upload any code I want through the handy USB port in the back of his neck.”  Pixel was all smiles.

          “I see.  So no info yet though huh?”  She wondered.

          “I have managed to decode a portion of the hard drive and use the memory chips to run some basic programs but so far it’s only found the speech program and the Three Laws.  Since I already hard wired the Laws in, that only leaves the speech program but it is still helpful.  I’m hoping that it’ll retrieve building plans and things like that.  Especially since there doesn’t appear to be a building where there was supposed to be.”  He said.

          “All right well as soon as you get something, call me.  I’ll want to take a look at it.  Meantime, I’m heading over to Trixie’s.”  Stephanie gave a nod.

          “Will do.”  Pixel smiled before shoveling in more mac and cheese.  The twenty-two year old laughed again before heading out the door.

          Meanwhile, Robbie sat and stared at Sportacus.  The hero had either lost it or perhaps he was on something.

          “You want to talk to me about the troops?  What do I know about physical fitness?”  He looked at the man in blue.

          “They aren’t ready and I need you to stall IAC’s coding process.”  Sportacus explained. 

          “You’ve been riding them for almost two months and they aren’t ready?  You’ve got to be kidding.”  Robbie couldn’t believe it.

          “Well Stephanie and Trixie are ready.  Stingy is getting there and Ziggy…” the sentence trailed off. 

          “About as useful as a chicken-wire submarine.”  Robbie finished.

          “The point is that I need at least another month.”  Sportacus told him.

          “Pixel is still decoding the hard drive.  Two weeks was optimistic anyway but I’m not going to slow things down.  The longer we wait the more the chance the Ministry will launch another attack.  Evil is persistent, you of all people should know that.”  The ex-villain shook his head.

          “Proper training takes years not months.  Even if I give them the basics, how do I know the enemy won’t be better prepared?  We go there and get ourselves killed, then LazyTown will be on its own.”  The above average hero argued.

          “Then brains shall win the day and not brawn.  You’re forgetting but I can be pretty handy when it comes to things that go boom.”  Robbie smirked.


	4. Chapter 4

A few days had passed since Sportacus had approached Robbie and the ex-con was hard at work developing some explosive material.  Pixel was almost to the point of getting something good and he hoped that by day’s end a schematic would be available.  Meanwhile, all of this made Sportacus extremely nervous and he’d been working the kids extra hard.

          “I think I’m going to die.”  Trixie said as she plopped down on a park bench as lunchtime had arrived.

          “I can’t feel anything from the waist down.”  Stingy complained.

          “I can’t feel anything from my neck down.”  Ziggy whined.

          “Oh good land.  What is wrong with you people?”  Stephanie asked, not seeming to be affected by the above average hero’s breakneck pace earlier.

          “You’re kidding right?  How is it that you aren’t in pain like the rest of us?”  Trixie questioned before gulping some water.  Stephanie had no answer and luckily Sportacus intervened.

          “Eat something healthy guys.  You’ll need your strength.”  He smiled and grabbed an apple from his bag.

          “Eat?  My stomach is having serious doubts.”  Ziggy said.  The above average hero was about to suggest he try before continuing to work out but a loud explosion interrupted him. 

          “What the hell was that?”  Trixie’s eyes went wide.

          “My crystal didn’t beep.  Something odd is going on.”  Sportacus was curious as well.  Quickly, he and Stephanie headed over toward the fireball that had erupted and hoped that everyone was ok.

          Upon arriving at the scene, they found Robbie laying flat on his back, staring up at the sky along with a patch of grass that would need an obituary in the morning paper.

          “Holy crap.”  Stephanie said.  It was totally uncharacteristic of her to say that but it certainly seemed appropriate, as the scene was unbelievable.

          “Shit was the word you were looking for, I believe.”  Robbie corrected.

          “Are you all right?  What is that smell?”  Sportacus asked as he helped Robbie up.

          “I’ll be fine and that smell is what I said, shit.”  The purple wearing man said as he dusted himself off.

          “Are you trying to tell me you used fertilizer to do that?”  Stephanie pinched her fingers on her noise.

          “I did and apparently I need to dull down the nitro.”  Robbie told them.

          “Nitro?  Where’d you get that?”  Sportacus asked.

          “You don’t wanna know.”  Robbie explained.

          “I think we’d better leave it at that and explain why you were messing around with that stuff anyway.”  The pink-haired one insisted.

          “Well if you must know, I always believe in being prepared before duking it out with the enemy.  A little explosives never hurt anybody.”  The oxymoron made the two look at him.

          “Ok so not exactly but you know what I mean.  Anyway, I’m working with what I can scrounge.  Cut me some slack.”  Robbie gave them a look.

          “I would but it appears the fire company saw your little stunt.”  Sportacus pointed out to the sirens and big red vehicle coming down the road.

          “Run away!”  Robbie shouted as he hobbled as fast as he could for his house and went down the tube. 

          “We’d better go after him.”  Sportacus shook his head, trying to contain his laughter.

          “It still amazes me he’s survived this long.”  Stephanie giggled as they too jumped down the tube. 

          “Good thing you followed.”  Robbie smiled as they tried to untangle themselves from the landing.  Sportacus tried to reach for something and got a handful of Stephanie’s chest to which she responded,

          “Later big boy.”  The wink that followed only made him blush.  Meanwhile, Robbie tried to hold down his vomit.

          “Anyhoo… Pixel sent me a message.  He has the layout of the Ministry’s headquarters.  You’d better round up the others and I’ll meet you over there.”  Robbie said.

          “Sounds like a plan.”  Sportacus nodded.  Shortly after they left, the ex-villain made his way to his tube and frowned.

          “I hope this thing works otherwise I’m going to have my body parts floating in space.”  He shook his head on the thought and poked the buttons.

          “Energize in thirty seconds.”  His computer responded as Robbie climbed into the tube.

          “Twenty.”  The computer droned on.  Robbie gulped.

          “Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one.  Energize.”  The computer stated as Robbie’s body turned into millions of molecules and vanished.


	5. Chapter 5

Pixel’s focus was completely on the computer when Robbie reappeared in his room.  He certainly wasn’t expecting the blurt out that came next.

          “I’m alive!!!!”  Robbie shouted.

          “Holy hell!”  The Gizmo Guy shouted as he jumped out of his seat.

          “It worked!  It worked!  It worked!”  Now Robbie started dancing which was very scary for Pixel.

          “What worked?”  The boy asked getting up from his chair.

          “The Teleporter!”  The ex-villain exclaimed.  Pixel’s eyes went wide and they began jumping around together.  It would be at least ten minutes before they realized that the rest of the group had filed into the room.

          “Oh boy, they’ve cracked their gourds.”  Trixie shook her head.

          “It could be the medication.”  Stingy suggested.

          “Except Pixel isn’t on anything unless there is some Weed in his caffeine drink.”  Stephanie raised an eyebrow.  About a month back, a nice old lady by the name of Mrs. Walton, who just happened to be Pixel’s neighbor, was caught with a stash, claiming it was for her cataracts.  Needless to say, the police made sure all her hydroponics equipment was taken away.  However, they never did find her stash or if she was selling to someone.

          “Care to clue us in guys?”  Sportacus interrupted ‘Happy Time’.

          “The Teleporter worked!”  They explained.

          “Fabulous.  How does this help us?”  Ziggy questioned, still slightly confused.

          “We’ll explain later.  Right now, you’re interested in the plans.  Here we are,” Pixel punched a few buttons and a three-d model appeared in front of them.

          “As you can see there are multiple levels of the facility and it is occupied by humans and androids alike.”  The Gizmo Guy explained.

          “So does this complex actually exist?  And if so where?”  Stephanie asked.

          “That’s the beauty of it.  According to most of the conspiracy websites, the facility is invisible but IAC proved them wrong when he gave up the password.”  Pixel smirked and pulled up a different view of the facility.

          “It’s underground.”  Trixie said.

          “Exactly.  Those who want to gain access must stand at exactly the right spot and then a keypad emerges from the ground.  The password is entered and whoever is in the group shall be admitted.”  Her friend told them.

          “That doesn’t sound exactly secure.  I mean anyone could step on the exact spot on accident.”  Stephanie made a point.

          “Wrong.  It may look like an open field but it isn’t.  There is a fence that has barbed wire at the top.  Signs posted on the fence read ‘WARNING:  Toxic Waste Dump.”  Pixel smiled.

          “Brilliant but how does one get past the fence?”  Stingy wanted to know. 

          “There is a padlocked gate to enter through, which can get through with a key.”  The Gizmo Guy said.

          “We don’t have a key.”  Ziggy seemed happy that the plan wasn’t getting anywhere fast.

          “You mean this key?”  Pixel pulled the key out of his pocket.

          “I found it inside a hidden compartment that was inside IAC’s left leg.”  He continued.

          “Capacity-wise, what are we looking at?”  Sportacus was uneasy about the whole thing.

          “According to the square footage of all the rooms, five hundred androids and three hundred humans.  However that is at maximum capacity.  I’m hoping to finish restoring IAC’s hard drive to get an updated schedule once we’re ready to go.”  He made it sound so easy.

          “Eight hundred total?  What are we going to do?”  Trixie asked.

          “As I said, that is maximum capacity.  According to the fragments of old schedules I found on IAC’s hard drive, the most occupying the space is two hundred.  They have missions all over the world.  We take out their headquarters and they’ll divided into factions.  They’ll never know what hit them.”  Pixel tried to calm the group down.

          “With well-placed explosives, we can take them.”  Robbie was confident. 

          “I like his thinking.”  Trixie smirked.

          “I thought you would.  Besides the idea is to have six go in and only five come out.”  Robbie told them.

          “What do you mean?”  Sportacus was really nervous now.

          “Simple.  Pixel and I will stay behind in order to keep tabs on IAC’s process and to teleport the group back to LazyTown.  That leaves, Pinky, Stinky, Zippy, Trixie, and you to be accompanied by our robot friend.  IAC will be filled with explosives and ordered to enter the main storage for the inactive androids.  When the team is out of the building, we press the magic button and KABOOM!  No more Ministry.” the ex-villain explained.

          “Won’t that result in a lot of human casualties?”  Stephanie asked.

          “At any given moment, there are always more androids than humans.  You are going on a search and destroy mission.  May I remind you what they tried to do to me?  Or how about Stinky or Ziggy, or Sporty?  Kill or be killed is the nature of this beast.  They have no intention of leaving those who stood in their way survive.  The only reason that the Ministry hasn’t come after us yet is probably because they still expect IAC to be doing his job.”  Robbie tried to make them understand.

          “If they are expecting him to be doing his job, wouldn’t he need to send out status reports?”  Trixie wondered.

          “Yes and by now since he isn’t exactly in transmitting state, they could be here at any moment.  Hell they could be here now, pretending to be our friends.”  Pixel said.  This made everyone nervous and little did they know how right the Gizmo Guy had been.


	6. Chapter 6

Stephanie sat on her bed, staring out the window.  Her thoughts raced as to the mission at hand.  Pixel and Robbie had made valid points.  The Ministry was playing a whole different ballgame.  This wasn’t any of the kiddy stuff that Robbie used to pull.  They were up against androids and trained assassins.  Yes they had defeated IAC but it took them two attempts before the mechanical monstrosity was finally out for the count.  Soon they would be facing a whole different challenge.   

The possibility of having a traitor in their ranks was something she hoped wasn’t true.  Their mission would never get off the ground then.  It might be too late and the Ministry could be at their doorstep in the morning or it could be a case of massive paranoia.  She liked the paranoid idea better.  It was better to be paranoid than be right.  Stephanie heaved a sigh and got up to head for her pajama drawer.  Maybe sleep would help her clear her mind.  However, she never made it to the drawer, as there was a knock on her door.

“Come in.”  She tried to sound cheery.

“Hi Steph.”  Sportacus gave a weak smile.

“Hey.”  She immediately perked up.  Then there was an awkward silence as neither one said anything.  It was odd in itself as they always had something to say to each other.

“So I’m guessing you can’t sleep.”  Stephanie broke the silence by pointing to the clock.  It was way past eight oh eight.  He chuckled slightly and gave a nod.

“I’m afraid so.  What Robbie and Pixel said has me thinking.”  The above average hero admitted.

“Then you must be reading my mind because that’s why I was awake.”  The pink one smirked.

“As much as I don’t want to admit it, I’m afraid Robbie and Pixel have a point.”  Sportacus sighed.  Stephanie walked over to him as he still stood in the doorway and wrapped her arms around him in a big hug.

“They maybe right but we have to do it.  No matter what happens, you know how I feel about you.  Nothing will change that.  Even if it is the worst thing that could possibly happen.”  The word ‘death’ rarely ever escaped her lips after her parents died and she wasn’t about to start now.  He rested his chin on her head and they stood that way for a few moments.

“Well you should get some sleep.  Its back at it tomorrow morning.”  He smiled, as they pulled apart.  She grabbed his hand and pulled him toward her bed.

“Uh Steph, I…” he started.

“Just stay with me.  That’s all I ask.”  She said.

“I can do that.”  He smiled and they crawled into the bed.  Stephanie was soon asleep in his arms but Sportacus continued to stay awake, wondering if sleep was actually going to help.

Over at Pixel’s the boys were calling it a night.  Everything they needed was still a few weeks away and they certainly weren’t going to get it done tonight.

“Well I guess, I’ll gimp on home.”  Robbie smirked and grabbed his cane.  His legs were getting better everyday but he still relied on the cane.

“Why gimp when you can get zapped home?”  Pixel asked pointing to the Teleporter.

“I need the fresh air.”  The ex-villain told him.

“You?  Fresh air?  I thought they didn’t mix?”  The Gizmo Guy teased.

“All right smart ass.  I’m going home.  See you at the crack of ten.”  Robbie smirked and headed outside.  The night was pretty warm but still he shivered when the breeze blew by.  Picking up the pace he headed toward his house.  But something bothered him.  He couldn’t shake the feeling he was being watched.  His mind told him it was all that talk about the enemy being among them but Robbie’s bones told him otherwise.  The ex-villain glanced over his shoulder and caught sight of a flash of someone with silver hair.  Again Robbie picked up the pace.  He knew one woman who was close enough to the group and that had silver hair.  Still he didn’t want to accuse until he talked it over with someone.  A few minutes later, he arrived home and quickly locked himself inside.  Setting the alarms, he headed for his bedroom.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning Pixel opened his front door after hearing someone knock.  He was expecting Robbie but he figured the ex-villain would use the Teleporter.  However he was surprised to find the gangly purple wearing man at his door.

          “Uh did I miss something?”  The Gizmo Guy asked.

          “We have a problem.  You’re coming with me.”  Robbie grabbed the orange haired boy and pulled him outside.

          “Where are we going?”  Pixel gave him a look as they began walking away from the house. 

          “You’ll see.”  The fact that Robbie wouldn’t give him a straight answer made him a little nervous.  They soon made their way to the Mayor’s house and gained entry after Milford opened the door.

          “We need to see Pinky.”  Robbie said.

          “She should be up.  I’ll go check.”  Mr. Meanswell went down the hall only to be confronted with Sportacus coming up the hall.  Neither man knew what to say and quickly the above average hero left.

          “Whoa.  Where’s the fire?”  Robbie snickered.

          “Oh my…” Pixel tried to get the image out of his head.

          “Nothing happened.  Besides even if it did that’s a personal issue.”  Sportacus’ cheeks were turning red.

          “Oh yeah then why are your cheeks as red as a tomato?”  Robbie was having a seriously hard time containing his laughter. 

          “What’s going on?”  Stephanie wondered as she entered the kitchen.  She was met with Robbie’s laughter, Pixel’s disgust, and Sportacus’ embarrassment.

          “Nothing happened!  Now where are you here?”  Stephanie asked.

          “Onto more serious matters, Poodle was right.  We have an infiltrator.  I got followed home last night by someone with gray hair.”  Robbie said.

          “How can you be sure?”  Stephanie wanted to know. 

          “Trust me.  I may be wrong on a lot of other things but I know she was following me.  There’s only one person who has gray hair and has recently been involved with the law.”  The ex-villain told them.

          “Mrs. Walton?”  Pixel raised an eyebrow.

          “Well she did get arrested for her little garden.”  Sportacus said.

          “He has a point.  Although weed possession is a little different than being an agent for evil.”  Stephanie pointed out.

          “She said it was for her cataracts but the point being the woman conveniently left her hydroponic equipment conspicuously out in the open and then tried to enlist Poodle to help her hide it.  Without him the whole mission falls apart.”  Robbie said.

          “And the next guy to go after is you.”  Sportacus realized.

          “Exactly.  Tackle the easiest targets first.”  Stephanie nodded.

          “Thanks for that.”  Pixel muttered.

          “Anyway, how do we catch her?”  Robbie wanted to know.  This they puzzled over for some time. 

          “Well I say the first step is to sweep for listening devices.”  The ex-villain spoke up after about thirty minutes.

          “Good call.  After that, I have an idea.”  Pixel couldn’t help but smirk. 

“Oh this will be good.”  Stephanie smiled.  The group got up and quickly headed over to Pixel’s place.


	8. Chapter 8

A sweep of Pixel’s room indicated that there was at least three listening devices and the group quickly made plans, being sure their enemy could hear them.

          “I’m testing IAC out tonight once it gets dark.  If he works, then we’re leaving in the morning.”  The Gizmo Guy smirked as he talked.

          “Where are you going to do that?”  Stephanie asked.

          “Out by Robbie’s house.  Behind the billboard.”  Pixel explained.

          “Great idea.  That way if something goes wrong no one will get hurt.”  Sportacus nodded.

          “All righty then.  Me and the kid had better get cracking.”  Robbie said.  With that the group split up.  Sportacus and Stephanie went to find the other kids while Robbie and Pixel continued to work on IAC.  There was still quite a bit of work to be done and the android wouldn’t be ready for at least a week and a half but Mrs. Walton didn’t know that.

          “So since she already heard our plans, what should we do?”  Stephanie asked as the two approached Trixie’s house.

          “Let’s hope tonight goes off without a hitch and we’ll worry about it then.  Perhaps we can use Mrs. Walton, if that is her real name, as leverage.”  The above average hero smiled.  They knocked on Trixie’s door.  The prankster opened the door and Stingy was right behind her.

          “Let’s get Ziggy, we have a lot to discuss.”  Stephanie said.

* * *

          Darkness had fallen only minutes before as Robbie and Pixel wheeled IAC up behind the billboard with a dolly. 

          “Man he weighs a ton.”  Robbie griped.

          “Boy I’m glad we got him walking.”  Pixel agreed.  They got him into position and waited for the others to arrive.  They were prompt as usual and the “test” got underway.

          “Primary circuits?”  Pixel asked.  Robbie flicked a switch on their remote.

          “Check.”  He replied as IAC’s eyes lit up.

          “Secondary circuits?”  The Gizmo Guy checked.  With another flick of the switch by Robbie and IAC’s hard drive booted.

          “Check.” The ex-villain said.

          “Excellent.  Start the commands then shall we?”  Pixel smirked as Robbie hit a big red button. 

          “I am Interactive Construct.  How may I be of assistance?”  The voice was exactly the same as the old version that had been fried.

          “Walk ten paces forward.”  Pixel ordered.  The android did as instructed.

          “Now walk ten paces backward.”  Pixel gave another order.  Once again the robot proved he could follow orders.

          “Engage sidearm.”  Robbie took his turn with the commands and IAC poked the hidden panel in his leg and removed a squirt gun.

          “We have to get him the real thing.”  Robbie whispered.  Pixel nodded.  Perhaps Chief Dooright had one they could borrow.

          “Aim at Sportacus.”  The command given, the android turned to the crowd, and picked his target.

          “Fire!”  Robbie smirked, as the water pistol was unloaded on the above average hero.  The man in blue was soaked from head to toe.

          “Well at least we know he can find his target and that he’s accurate.”  Pixel chuckled.  Sportacus made a face but let the demonstration continue.

          “Replace sidearm.”  Pixel ordered.  IAC did as he was instructed.

          “Excellent job guys.  Now what can this baby really do?”  Trixie asked.  Her answer was to get a cold metal object in her back.

          “All right nobody move!”  Mrs. Walton shouted.


	9. Chapter 9

****What happened next could only be described as amazing.  It wasn’t until Mrs. Walton was lying on the ground unconscious and Sportacus had intervened, that everyone realized who had been the perpetrator.

          “Remind me not to piss Stingy off.”  Pixel whispered to Robbie.

          “Same here.”  The ex-villain said letting out a low whistle.

          “Guess we didn’t need the trap huh?”  Ziggy shrugged as Sportacus put the seething Stingy back down.  The boy went to hit the woman again and the above average hero picked him back up.

          “Good news is that Trixie will be ok but she’ll probably have a nasty headache when she wakes up.  As for Mrs. Walton…” Stephanie trailed off.

          “We’ll be lucky if she isn’t in a coma.”  Robbie shook his head looking at the result of the vicious attack on the old woman.

          “All right everyone.  We need to calm down.  Get IAC back to Pixel’s, call Chief Dooright, and somebody get a doctor.  We’ll all meet back at the Mayor’s house.”  Sportacus took command.  Quickly, Pixel and Robbie loaded IAC back onto the dolly and headed for the Gizmo Guy’s house.  Ziggy grabbed his cell phone and called the Chief while Stephanie got her phone out and called LazyTown’s local physician. 

          “Promise me you’ll not kick or punch Mrs. Walton again and I’ll put you down.”  Sportacus said to Stingy.  The miser gave him a look but nodded.  He slowly put him down and went over to Stephanie.

          “Doc Monroe says to get both of them to his office and he’ll take a look at them.”  She said.

          “Good.  I’ll take Walton.  You and Stingy get Trixie.”  The blue suited hero smiled.

          “You got it.  What about Ziggy?”  The pink one asked.

          “Chief Dooright is going to take Mrs. Walton into custody.  Where should I tell him to meet us?”  The candy loving kid wondered before Stephanie’s question could be answered.

          “Doc Monroe’s.  Ziggy go to the Mayor’s house and update him on the situation.  Tell him we’re having a meeting very shortly.”  Sportacus told him.

          “You got it.”  Ziggy nodded and finished his conversation.  After that the group split up.  In no time, Doctor Monroe was ushering the bunch that had headed to his office in.

          “Oh my.  Quiet the excitement tonight.”  The elderly man said.

          “Sorry to disturb you Doc.”  Sportacus gave a slight smile as he laid Mrs. Walton down on the nearby couch and then helped Stingy and Stephanie with Trixie.  

          “An emergency is an emergency.”  The good-natured man smiled.

          “Can you look at Trixie?”  Stingy was anxious.

          “Of course my dear boy.  Are we expecting more company?”  Doctor Monroe asked upon seeing the police cars outside.

          “They’re taking Mrs. Walton into custody.  She’s a spy.”  Sportacus explained.  A look of disbelief crossed the doctor’s face.

          “It’s a long story.”  Stephanie smiled.

          “I bet.”  Chief Dooright said from the doorway.  Sportacus nodded and extended a hand to the head of the police department.  The Chief shook it and then said,

          “Go on.  I have things from here.”

          “Thanks Chief.”  The above average hero nodded and he and Stephanie headed for the door.

          “Aren’t you coming Stingy?”  The pink one asked when the miser didn’t follow. 

          “I… uh…” he only stuttered.

          “No worries son.  Trixie is in good hands.  Run along.”  Doc Monroe reassured him.  With that Stingy gave a nod and headed out after his friends.  Through all the commotion no one had seemed to notice that Sportacus’ crystal had never gone off.


	10. Chapter 10

Most of the group sat around the Mayor’s kitchen table while the Mayor paced anxiously back and forth.

          “Everybody here?”  Sportacus asked as he entered the home with Stephanie directly behind him.

          “Yup.”  Pixel nodded.

          “Good.  Now after the display we had tonight, I think we don’t have much choice but to act fast.”  The above average hero said.

          “Sportawipe is right.  Once Walton stops transmitting to The Ministry, it’s all downhill from there but we have a problem.”  Robbie told them.

          “What problem?”  Stephanie asked.

          “IAC’s display was just that, a display.  He isn’t fully functional.  I wrote enough code to make whomever was watching us believe he was ready.  It was only meant to draw Walton out.”  The Gizmo Guy explained.

          “How much more time do you need?”  Sportacus wanted to know.

          “With Robbie and I working in alternating twelve hour shifts, we might be able to get it down to a week.”  Pixel delivered the bad news.

          “Plan B then.”  Ziggy suggested.

          “What’s Plan B?”  Stingy looked at him.

          “I hide under my bed and eat lots and lots of chocolate.”  The candy-loving teenager said.  Stephanie rolled her eyes and decided that they had to come up with something better.

          “We use Walton as bait then.  Send a message via IAC.  Tell them we have their agent and that if they want her or the android back they’d better do what we want.”  The pink one told them.

          “Yes well when you tell them that all you want is for them to leave us alone.  They’ll laugh.”  Pixel said.

          “Yeah and then they’ll take what they want by force.  Probably killing us in the process.”  Robbie shook his head.

          “He’s right.”  Sportacus sighed.  This left the group in a quandary.  Silence fell as they tried to come up with a plan. 

          “I say we stick to the original plan.  Leave IAC the way he is.  We’re going to blow him up anyway.”  Robbie said after ten minutes.

          “Point.”  Pixel agreed.

          “Why put all that work in when we’re going to blow it up anyway?”  Stingy nodded.

          “My concern is that he won’t pass with his other androids.  He says one thing wrong and we’ll not finish our mission before he explodes.”  Sportacus said.

          “That be the beauty of it, with the Teleporter, we don’t have to worry!  The Teleporter can lock onto your individual signals and pick you up.  Once the team is out of the building, Pixel hits the big red button and KABLAM!  Nothing but shrapnel for miles with an added bonus of the ground above it falling in.”  Robbie smirked. 

          “I’m with Robbie.”  Pixel said.

          “All right we’ll take a vote.  All those in favor?”  Stingy asked.  Before he could get any answers the phone rang.  Milford picked it up.

          “Hello?”  The group listened intently hoping they could figure out who was on the other end.

          “I see.  We’ll be right there.”  The Mayor said and then he hung up.

          “The Chief?”  Sportacus asked.

          “Yes.  He says both Trixie and Mrs. Walton are awake.”  Milford told them.

          “Let’s go question Walton.”  Stephanie said.

          “That would be a good idea considering she’s claiming to be an FBI agent.”  The Mayor told them.


	11. Chapter 11

“An FBI agent?”  Sportacus looked at the woman upon arriving at Doctor Monroe’s office.  She had gray hair and looked like she should be using a walker.

          “What about her cataracts? And what’s her real name?”  Pixel asked.

          “Gentlemen if you’ll let me explain.”  The woman sat up and Chief Dooright removed the handcuffs.  Then he handed them her badge, identifying her as Special Agent Amanda Walton.  The photo clearly had her aged at about twenty-seven.

          “Shit.  I beat the crap out of a Federal Agent.  I’m doomed.”  Stingy whined.  At this point, Trixie conked him over the head.

          “You were defending your girlfriend, I’ll let it slide.  Besides the information the FBI received appears to be phony.  You obviously aren’t a terrorist cell.”  Walton gave a half smile as she pulled her wig off to reveal mussed brown hair.

          “A terrorist cell?”  Robbie started to laugh.  Everyone gave him a look.

          “Come on, who would believe Sporty and the kids were terrorists?”  He defended himself.

          “Point.”  Stephanie nodded.

          “Although if you carry through with your plan you will be.  Willful destruction of property and no doubt a few counts of murder.”  Walton explained.

          “If you have a better idea, we’re all ears.  The Ministry has tried to have Robbie, Stephanie, and myself killed more than once.”  Sportacus said.

          “I was thinking along the lines of an FBI raid.”  The Special Agent told them.

          “How do you raid a place that is underground without alerting everyone to your presence?”  Robbie wanted to know.

          “Still working on that but if we could question the other Ministry agents before they die we could shut down their entire operation.”  Walton pointed out.

          “To be honest, we’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak.  We figure once IAC stopped transmitting to the Ministry Headquarters, they’d send more agents to retrieve him and finish the job hence why we thought it was you.”  Pixel told her.

          “Anyone else acting suspicious?”  She asked.

          “No and there in lies the problem.”  Stephanie said.

          “Wait how does the Weed fit in?”  Ziggy wondered.   

“We were informed your cell enjoyed your Pot so I figured I could snare you on possession charges if I couldn’t prove anything else.  Besides we figured if you were high you’d screw up.” Walton filled in the blanks.

“How’d the FBI get the information?”  Sportacus asked wondering how the supposed tipster threw the Pot detail in without being suspected himself.

“An anonymous tip was called in back in D.C.  They called the FunTown office and I was put uncover to verify the information.  Upon verification, agents from D.C. would arrive and we’d take you down by any means necessary.”  Walton answered flatly.

“Waco anyone?”  Robbie muttered under his breath.  

“Why don’t you call Washington and inform them the situation has changed.  Perhaps they would be more than willing to help us now.”  Chief Dooright said.

“Perhaps but Pixel has an excellent point.  By the time a team from Washington arrives it could be too late.  Either the Ministry will send someone to finish the job or they’ll abandon ship.”  The G-woman told the group.

“So what do we do?”  Stephanie wanted to know.

“I’ll call the office and see how many men we can get together.  Meantime, get the robot working.  If the office turns my request down then we’re on our own.”  Walton explained.

“We?”  Robbie gave her a look.

“As much as you might not like it, I’m a part of this now.” She told them.


	12. Chapter 12

Early in the afternoon, Walton made her way to the Mayor’s house.  She’d spent most of the morning on the phone with her superiors.  They had promised to call with their decision in an hour.  The agent gave them the phone number of Milford’s address and hoped that Pixel and Robbie had made IAC ready as it needed to be.  Knocking on the door, she was allowed access to the house by the Mayor himself.

          “Ah Agent Walton, please come in.”  Milford smiled and moved aside.

          “Thank you Sir.”  She smiled back.

          “No need to call me ‘Sir’.  Just Milford will do.  They’re in the living room.”  The Mayor said.  Walton nodded and walked into the room.  The group was indeed there with the exception of Pixel and Robbie.

          “So, how did it go?”  Sportacus asked.

          “My bosses will call soon and then we’ll have their decision.  Although I have to admit they seem very skeptical of the whole thing.  The FBI doesn’t bow down to terrorists but they won’t become them either.”  She explained.

          “Understandable.  If we had seen another way around blowing things up we would have.  We just don’t want the Ministry getting another opportunity to kill one of us.”  The above average hero told her.  She made a mental note the Stephanie squeezed his hand and gave him a nervous look.

          “True but the law binds everyone including you.”  The FBI agent reminded him.

          “Who cares about the law?  It’s an eye for an eye.  The law hasn’t seemed to shut the Ministry down, so we’ll do it for you.”  Robbie made his grand entrance along with Pixel and IAC.  Walton wanted to say something but bit her tongue.  She didn’t want to arrest the group but if she had to, she would.

          “As much as it hurts me, I have to admit, I’m with Robbie on this one.  The Ministry has already wracked up six counts of attempted murder, one count murder, and at least two or three arson charges.  No one has stepped in before.”  Sportacus pointed out.  He was all for following the law but the Ministry had gone too far when they tried to kill Stephanie.

“Thanks Sportakook.  I knew I could count on you.”  Robbie said sarcastically.

“Meanwhile back at the ranch, IAC is up and running.”  Pixel shifted focus to himself and the android.

“How much does old bolt-head actually know?  I don’t know about you guys but I’d like to get out of that building before he blows prematurely.”  Trixie said.   

“I’m with her.”  Ziggy nodded.

“Watch this.”  Pixel smirked and pressed a button on his wristband computer.  IAC’s eyes lit up and he greeted the group.

“I am Robot one-one-two-dash-three.”  Another button poke from Pixel evoked a different response.  From his leg, the android grabbed a handgun (which was really a squirt gun) and faced Ziggy.

“You've got to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya, punk? *” Stingy was rolling on the floor laughing while Trixie and Stephanie tried to contain their giggles.  Needless to say, Ziggy looked like he was going to wet his pants so IAC did it for him.  Pointing the squirt gun at the candy-loving teenager, the android blasted Ziggy’s pants.

“Hey!”  Ziggy cried out.  By now Robbie was laughing too.  Amid all the laughter, the boy ran to the bathroom.

“All right, it seems you’ve proven your point.”  Sportacus shook his head, feeling bad for poor Ziggy.  It was then that the phone rang and Walton was called to it by Milford.

“The moment of truth.”  Pixel said. 

 

* Partial quote from Dirty Harry (1971), starring Clint Eastwood.


	13. Chapter 13

The way things were going it didn’t look good.  Walton had been on the phone for fifteen minutes.  This of course made everyone nervous and Sportacus pace the room.

          “Sit down Sportadope before you make me dizzy.”  Robbie rubbed his eyes.  The above average hero completely ignored him.

          “So much for that.”  Robbie mumbled as he looked around the room trying to focus on something other than the pacing blue elf.  The first thing he noticed was Stephanie.  She had been awful quiet since the arrival of Walton and besides her giggling at Ziggy when he got shot with the water pistol she hadn’t said anything.  Normally she would have tried to make Ziggy feel better or at least yelled at everybody that they were being mean but none of that happened.  Now she sat on the couch, biting her lower lip.  It was at that point, that Sportacus passed him by and Robbie grabbed the above average hero’s vest.

          “Something is wrong with Pinky.”  The ex-villain pointed out.  Sportacus raised an eyebrow and looked over at his girlfriend. 

          “Understandable considering the situation.”  He said.

          “You just make sure when the proverbial shit hits the fan that she’s ready for it.  The last thing we need is for her to be distracted.”  Robbie told him.  Sportacus opened his mouth to defend Stephanie but he never got the chance as Walton reentered the room.

          “My boss says we need to wait for a team from Washington.  We don’t have enough personnel in FunTown for an operation that size.”  The FBI agent shook her head.

          “How long will that take?”  Pixel asked.

          “Too long.”  Robbie gave him an answer.

          “It’s a two hour flight to FunTown from D.C.  You’re looking at least a day before everyone has arrived and been briefed.”  Walton said.

          “A day isn’t so bad.”  Sportacus pointed out.

          “Except then they have to travel to the Ministry.  The Teleporter can’t handle more than six people.  So that means another long flight and drive to the sight.  Not exactly stealth mode, I’d say.”  Robbie gave the group a look.  

          “I have my orders.”  Walton wouldn’t budge.

          “Then so do we.  We attack at dusk.  The facility is mostly devoid of humans past five o’clock.  The later it is the better the chance of not killing as many of them.”  Robbie had no qualms about killing, that much was obvious.

          “Then I’m going to have to stop you.”  The FBI agent pulled her standard issue Glock twenty-two from its holster.

          “What are you going to do?  Shoot all of us?  I find that highly unlikely.”  Pixel said.  Walton looked around as the group all got to their feet.  She was outnumbered but that wasn’t unusual.  Her first move was to grab the Mayor.

          “I find that in a situation like this, motivation can be key.  It certainly won’t look good if the Mayor of LazyTown is arrested by the FBI.”  Walton gave them a look.

          Meanwhile, Chief Dooright was on the phone to FunTown.  Something nagged him about the convenience of having an FBI agent in his own backyard and no one informing him about it.

          “This is Deputy Director Grinnell.”  A booming voice came over the line.

          “Deputy Director, I’m Chief Dooright, head of LazyTown’s police force and I have some questions about your agent Amanda Walton.” 

          “The name isn’t familiar.  Let me look up her file and get back to you.”  Grinnell said.

          “Thank you sir.”  Dooright passed along the contact information so that the Deputy Director could call him back.  Something didn’t feel right at all but perhaps he was being paranoid.  All the same, he thought he’d better send someone over to the Mayor’s house just in case.


	14. Chapter 14

“Something isn’t right.”  Sportacus said to Stephanie as she looked at her uncle.  Walton still held the man at gunpoint, the only family she had left, and she wasn’t listening to the above average hero.

          “My crystal isn’t going off.”  He tried to get her to focus.  It was then that the pink-haired one noticed he was right.

          “All right everyone calm down.”  Stephanie spoke up.  At that moment, the doorbell rang and Sportacus was off like a shot to answer it.  More people would mean the less likelihood that Walton would shoot the Mayor.

          “Officer Brown and Officer Smith, it’s very good to see you.  Come on in.”  The above average hero smiled and led the officers into the home.

          “The Chief wanted us to check in with you guys.  He knows how much the Mayor worries and all.”  Officer Brown explained the unexpected visit.

          “Yes well, if he didn’t worry then we’d all be in trouble.”  Sportacus told them.

          “Very true.”  Officer Smith nodded.

          “Where is Agent Walton?”  Brown wondered.

          “Everyone is in the living room.”  The mustached man said.  Both officers nodded and walked into the room to find Walton holding the Mayor at gunpoint.  They quickly removed their weapons from their holsters.

          “Put the weapon down!”  Smith shouted.

          “I’m putting everyone in this home under arrest!”  Walton refused to lower her weapon, wondering how much longer she could keep up this charade.

          “Drop it or we’ll shoot.  Final warning.”  Brown voiced their intentions.  It was at this point that Walton knew the situation had gone from bad to worse.  She put her weapon down and was rushed by the officers who put her in handcuffs.  Smith then radioed the station.

          “Chief Dooright is on his way.”  Smith relayed to the relief of everyone in the room with the exception of Walton.

          “What was going on in here?”  Brown asked as he forced the FBI agent to sit on the floor in front of him.

          “She grabbed my uncle and threatened to shoot him.”  Stephanie said something before anyone else could.  No one seemed interested in correcting her and the officer had no reason to suspect the niece of the Mayor was lying.

          “I’m glad the situation is under control.”  Chief Dooright walked into the house.

          “So are we.”  Robbie nodded. 

          “Especially since Walton isn’t an FBI agent.  She was fired six months ago and so was her boss on charges of being double agents for The Ministry.  They disappeared from Federal Custody after the vehicle carrying them was rammed by an unmarked gray van.  Smith, Brown, take her to booking.  The Feds will be here in half an hour to transport her back to Club Fed.  They’re bringing in a team to assist in handling the Ministry as well.”  Dooright explained.

          “Excellent.  Now if you’ll excuse me.”  Mayor Meanswell moved from his spot near the wall and headed for the bathroom.  He was pretty sure he needed a change of shorts.

          “So any news on what happened to her boss?”  Sportacus asked.

          “No, but they believe that he is still on the loose.  No evidence has turned up otherwise.”  The police chief said.

          “So that means we still have a problem.  Who knows where this guy is or what he’s doing?”  Robbie shook his head.

          “Yes, one would assume wherever Walton is he is not far behind.”  Dooright gave Robbie a look.  The whole “Robbie being a good guy” thing still didn’t sit well with him despite Sportacus’ vouching for the ex-con.

          “Let’s head for the station and meet the Federal team.”  The Chief continued.


	15. Chapter 15

“Our enemy lies beneath what has been marked a ‘Toxic Waste Dump’.  This is not true.  It’s a scare tactic.  Once we are through the fence, we should be able to cross to the point where the password pole is located.”  Robbie pointed out on the large map that had been put up on the projector screen in the detectives’ desk section of the Police Department.

          “Should be able to?”  Special Agent Hatten wondered.

          “As far as we have been able to see there is no camera system setup on the perimeter and no traps along the way.  With a sign posted warning about a toxic waste dump is posted, apparently people listen.”  Pixel explained.

          “And our element of surprise?  It seems a little hard to sneak up in the middle of a field.”  Special Agent Sodja asked.

          “Indeed.  That’s why the night approach is key.  No flashlights, night vision would be preferable.”  Robbie said.

          “That part was obvious.  I mean about the whole storming in part.  Usually we like to surround the building and enter from all sides.  This situation makes us sitting ducks as we enter from the only entrance.”  Special Agent Fox pointed out.

          “Ah.”  Pixel realized.

          “Without multiple access points, we should let IAC go first.”  Stephanie suggested.

          “Except for the part where the explosives inside him blow up when someone hits him with a bullet.”  Trixie told her.

          “Yeah that wouldn’t be good.”  The pink one remarked.

          “Your robot is wired with explosives?”  Hatten gave them a look.

          “Well the original plan consisted of six going in…” Robbie started.

          “And only five coming out.”  Pixel finished.

          “Well since we’re around, we’ll need to do things the legal way.”  Sodja shook his head.

          “Yes well we do what we can since we weren’t getting any help.”  Stingy reminded them.  Strangely Sportacus had been quiet this whole time.  He was pondering the ideas that had been floating around.  His uneasiness was displayed on his face and in the pit of Stephanie’s stomach she knew why he was uncomfortable.  They’d been together long enough that it didn’t take a rocket scientist to see it.

          “A safe exit and entrance would be preferable but since we don’t have that, we play it cool.  Is there any way to match uniforms of the Ministry’s agents?”  Fox asked.

          “We should ask Walton.”  Stephanie said.

          “Very good idea.”  Sportacus liked the sound of that. 

          “Well she won’t talk to anyone in this room.”  Hatten made a valid point.  Her former coworkers and those she threatened really weren’t on the best of terms.  She’d lied to them before besides.

          “Let me talk to her.”  The pink one said.

          “What makes you think she’ll listen to you?”  Sodja wondered.

          “I can be very persuasive.”  She smiled and stood up from her chair.  Chief Dooright gave her a nod and led her down to the holding cells.  The Federal team was going to take her back after the paperwork had been filed and a few calls made.  Dooright stood nearby after letting Stephanie into the woman’s cell.

          “We need to talk.”  The pink one gave her a look.

          “What do you want to know?”  Walton heaved a sigh.


	16. Chapter 16

Stephanie fully expected there to be more of a fight when it came to getting information out of the double agent but by Walton’s response to her ultimatum was surprising.

          “You best not be lying to me.”  The pink one cracked her knuckles.

          “Uh huh well you can play the tough chick act all you want but I know underneath the rough exterior lies a little girl that just wants out.”  Walton smirked.

          “I stopped being a little girl a long time ago.  Now do agents in the Ministry’s headquarters wear specific uniforms?”  Stephanie wanted to know.

          “No, usually just whatever they were wearing on their last op or so I’ve been told.”  The prisoner responded.

          “What is that supposed to mean?”  The pink haired girl asked.

          “I’ve never been to the Ministry’s headquarters.”  Walton put simply.

          “How could you not?”  Stephanie raised her left eyebrow.

          “See this is the part where I tell you that I’m not actually a double agent and you totally don’t believe me.”  The ex-FBI agent explained.

          “If you weren’t a double agent then why did the FBI fire you and try to send you to jail?”  Stephanie was sure there was a lie in there somewhere and right now what she needed was the truth.

          “That’s where things get tricky.  My ex-fiancé was in the Ministry.  So when one of his ops went bad and they traced the evidence back to our apartment, things got out of control.  He used my laptop to hack into the CIA’s mainframe.  From there he stole classified documents and then proceeded to attempt to kill the Director of the CIA.  Where the documents he stole went, only my old boss knows.  Apparently he was in on it.  So with the evidence piled up against my boss he fingered me as the one who sent him the documents.  Only problem is, I didn’t.  My ex-fiancé used my e-mail account.  He got off scot-free and I’m stuck holding the wedding rings and wearing handcuffs.”  Walton explained.

          “A good lawyer would have argued that it was impossible to prove who was using your computer at the time.”  The pink one pointed out.

          “Yeah and a good lawyer would have gotten me my job back.”  The prisoner pointed out.

          “Except you ran when that gray van rammed your transportation detail.  Of course then there is the matter of trying to cozy up to our operation.”  Stephanie gave her a look.

          “I wanted in.  Figured I had to get my own justice if no one was going to get it for me.”  Walton shrugged.

          “And pointing your stolen weapon at my Uncle’s head?”  Stephanie asked.

          “I had to play the part of the FBI agent.  I couldn’t let you blow things up although I admit your plan had some merit.”  Amanda shrugged again.

          “So when you called to talk to your boss?”  The pink haired girl wondered.

          “The guy who rented the house to Mrs. Walton.  I told him I’d pay him fifty bucks for a practical joke.”  Walton responded.  Stephanie absorbed everything that she had been told and looked at Chief Dooright.  The head of LazyTown’s finest shook his head and then let the pink one out of the cell.

          “Thank you for your time.”  She said before she headed back upstairs.  Chief Dooright followed and once they were out of earshot asked,

          “You think she was telling the truth?”

          “What has she got to lose?  I mean she already lost her job, she was put under arrest, and now she sits poised to head to jail.  Although I do have a favor to ask of you.”  Stephanie said.

          “Sure.  What do you need?”  Dooright wondered.

          “Look up her story.  See if she’s been sticking to it.  It might just give me enough of a warm fuzzy to believe her.”  The pink one told him.

          “You’ve got it.”  The Police Chief nodded. 


	17. Chapter 17

“All right, I’m only going through this one more time.  It isn’t that complicated.”  Robbie announced.

          “We got it already.”  Agent Sodja complained.

          “Obviously not hot shot as you don’t have your transmitter blinking.”  The ex-villain pointed out.  Sodja grumbled and pushed the little button. 

          “Ok the Teleporter will transport you when you press the button once on your communication device.  The transmitter will lock on to the signal from the communication device and transport you back here.”  Robbie continued.

          “Won’t the blinking give us away?”  Ziggy asked.

          “I want everyone to press their transmitter again.”  The purple suit wearing man told them.  At this point, the lights on the transmitter stopped blinking.

          “Now they are set for use.  If you want to talk to a team member, remember to hold down the communication button.”  Robbie went on.

          “Great let’s go.”  Stephanie said.

          “The first team to the tubes.”  Pixel ordered.  The three FBI agents, IAC, and Sportacus walked up and entered the five tubes.  The Gizmo Guy pressed the button and the remainder of the group watched them disappear.

          “Cool.”  Trixie said.

          “You’re next.”  Pixel told them.  They got into the tubes and their friend was about to push the button when Stephanie stopped him.

          “Can I say it?”  The pink one smirked.

          “If you must.”  Pixel chuckled.

          “Energize.”  Stephanie said as the Gizmo Guy pressed the button and Trixie rolled her eyes.  Just like that, they were gone.

          “Good luck and Godspeed.”  Pixel sighed.  Robbie clapped him on the back before returning to the computer monitors to watch the team.

          Stephanie looked around, as she seemed to materialize out of thin air.  The group was ready and she looked to the mission ahead.  The gate unlocked, the group advanced to the special place with the keypad and IAC punched the keys.  Soon the group was heading down into the lair of the Ministry.

          “All right, everyone split up.  Get what we came for and let’s go.”  Sportacus said.  With that the group split up.  The FBI agents looked for computers to hack and information to shut the Ministry down all over the world while the remainder of the group searched for anything that could help their cause.

          IAC headed down to the storage as he was instructed.  Robbie and Pixel kept track of him from Robbie’s place back in LazyTown.  The two watched him and then they noticed something wasn’t right.

          “He’s not responding to my commands.  He’s walking towards the middle of the group of androids.”  Robbie said.

          “Use the manual override.”  Pixel told him.

          “I tried.  He’s not responding.”  Robbie kept hitting the buttons on the keyboard.  The Gizmo Guy pushed him out of the way and started trying to force the android to do what they wanted.

          “He’s initiated his count down sequence.”  Pixel said.

          “Shit.  Pull the plug!”  Robbie ordered.  Pixel entered the shutdown command code and nothing happened.

          “Call the team.  Get them out of there.  IAC is going to blow.”  Robbie couldn’t believe it.


	18. Chapter 18

Frantically, the Gizmo Guy tried to reach all of team.  The FBI agents were beamed out first followed by Sportacus, Trixie, and Stingy.

          “Where is Ziggy?”  The miser asked upon his return.

          “I’m working on it.”  Pixel said as he tried to pick the candy-loving kid up on the radio.  Sportacus pulled Robbie aside and gave this look.  The ex-villain couldn’t figure out whether it was a look of fear or grief.

          “How much longer until IAC blows?”  He asked.

          “Poodle has one minute to reach Ziggy and Pinky or…” Robbie let the sentence hang there.  As much as he hated to admit it, he was starting to like the missing kids, especially Pinky.

          “One minute?”  Sportacus looked like he was going to lose his lunch when Pixel interrupted him.

          “I’ve got Ziggy!”  Within moments, the youngest of the group made his appearance on the Teleporter pad.

          “Where’s Stephanie?”  Sportacus was frantic now.

          “I can’t reach her.  She isn’t responding.”  Pixel told him as he continued to try to contact the pink one.  The clock on a secondary computer screen read thirty seconds. 

          “Stephanie come in!”  The Gizmo Guy shouted.

          “Wha… ing… on?”  Her transmission was garbled but readable by the computer.  Pixel didn’t answer as he pushed the buttons.  The Teleporter picked up her signal as the computer counted down from five.  The Teleporter pad lit up and started receiving her signal when the clock reached zero. 

          The pad went dark but Stephanie did not stand where she was supposed to be.  The platform was empty.  Sportacus ran over to where she should have been and frantically tried to search the area but Stephanie was nowhere to be seen. 

          “Where is she?!”  He shouted.  Pixel was too busy punching the keys on the keyboard trying to recover the signal he had lost.

          “Answer him damn it!”  Trixie shouted at the Gizmo Guy as well.

          “I lost the signal just as she left the building.  The explosion disrupted the Teleporter’s beam.  I…” Pixel trailed off.  The worst had to be assumed.  They had never had the signal interrupted before and there was no telling what would happen to Stephanie’s body.  At this point, Trixie collapsed to the floor and started to cry.  Stingy tried to comfort her the best he could.  Sportacus had gone pale and silent.  Grief was nothing new to him but he wasn’t sure his heart could take it.  Robbie helped the above average hero to the big fuzzy orange chair.  The ex-villain wondered if LazyTown would ever be the same again.  The worst part would be explaining to Milford that his niece was gone.  She was the last of his family and now he would be alone.

The Ministry of Villains and Downright Naughtiness’ headquarters disappeared beneath the ground above it leaving nothing but a giant crater in the earth.  Smoke and clouds of dust plumed in the air creating the illusion of a dark and stormy day.  In the distance, sirens could be heard undoubtedly called by people who saw the giant clouds. 

From the dust a new era would arise.  The FBI agents had gotten enough information to shut down The Ministry’s bases in the United States.  From there, they could get the bases in Europe, Asia, and Africa with the help of there international counterparts.  Evil had been snuffed out but for LazyTown things had changed forever.  They were unaware of the rescue made just outside the crater.  Unaware that hope still had a chance.

**The End**


End file.
